SIR — Many of your readers may have visited the hospital lately – and, like 'Mona' (Derbyshire Times, Mailbox, August 8), felt that their experiences were let down by the building works in our main entrance.
We would like to apologise to patients, relatives and other visitors if they have felt the same. However, I would like to explain more about what we are doing — and why.
The hospital's main entrance is our busiest area with over one million peo
ple passing through the doors each year.
We have made a commitment to undertake on-going maintenance and refurbishment — so that our patients, staff and visitors have welcoming, clean and pleasant accommodation and environments. The last full refurbishment was undertaken in the 1990's.
The purpose of this project is to improve services for the 350,000 plus out-patients we see every year in our ten out-patient suites and other diagnostic clinics. The redesign will streamline reception services for these clinics — by having a central booking-in facility. It will host a new café, which will provide locally sourced food. It will have more seating and services such as ambulance transport, security and patient advice will be sited appropriately (for example, ambulance patients used to sit directly in front of the main doors, the new entrance moves them to a self-contained area for improved privacy and dignity).
We know that coming in to hospital is stressful and full of anixety. So if we can cause people to go 'wow' when they walk in, we feel it will help to put them immediately at ease. We want everyone to have a good expereince of the hosital from the moment they walk through the door.
It will all be open for business by the beginning of November and we hope, through the pages of the Derbyshire Times, we'll be able to show readers the finished product. In the meantime, if anyone would like to see the architects drawings they can pick up a copy of our information sheet the next time they come into the Royal — or they can call communications and request a copy on 01246 513875.
Sarah Turner-Saint,
Head of communications,
Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
The full article contains 375 words and appears in Derbyshire Times newspaper.
